The present disclosure relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus including the developing device.
Electrographic image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines, include a developing device that supplies toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum thereby to develop the electrostatic latent image. This forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum. The developing device includes a development roller (toner bearing member) rotatably disposed in a housing of the developing device. The development roller is spaced a predetermined gap away from the photosensitive drum and has a circumferential surface for bearing a developer, which at least contains toner. In one disclosure, a development roller is disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum. In another disclosure, a development roller is provided with a resin layer covering the surface of the development roller. In a yet another disclosure, a development roller is formed through a dipping process (dip method, dipping method) of dipping an element tube into a liquid resin in which a resin material has been dissolved.